The Cleveland Cavaliers finally broke their five-game losing streak on Friday night with a thrilling win over the Charlotte Hornets. Cavs youngsters Darius Garland and Evan Mobley both played massive roles in the win.
The Cavs needed two overtime periods to finally defeat the Hornets, with Mobley logging 45 minutes of playing time and Garland logging 48.
Following the game, Garland revealed what he’s told Mobley and how he’s encouraging the talented big man to exert his will on opposing teams.
Darius Garland spent essentially all of his postgame presser bragging about Evan Mobley: "He can do whatever he wants on this team, literally. I tell him he can do whatever: 'It's your team.'" #Cavs @basketbllnews pic.twitter.com/tRGwMsmXYa
— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) November 19, 2022
“I always tell Evan, ‘You’re him,’” said Garland. “He’s a unicorn. He does a lot of things that a lot of people don’t do in this league. He can do whatever he wants on this team — literally. I tell him, ‘You can do whatever, it’s your team.’ He knows that too. His confidence is just building every day.”
Though Garland is one of three players on the Cavs roster that earned an All-Star bid last season (Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell being the other two), it seems like there is a general consensus across the league that Mobley has the potential to be the most special among the bunch.
Already, he has garnered comparisons to Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett. It’s clear that the sky is the limit for the 21-year-old.
In Friday’s game, he proved just how dominant he can be. He finished with 21 points, 18 rebounds, five assists and two blocks in the game. He shot 64.3 percent from the field on 14 shot attempts.
If Mobley can continue playing at that level, the Cavs’ ceiling is undoubtedly going to get higher.
As for Garland, he continues to assert himself as one of the best young point guards in the NBA. He put in another masterful performance for the Cavs and finished with 41 points and six assists in the game.
Just five days prior to Friday’s win, Garland dropped 51 points in a close loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The impressive stats for both youngsters are nice to see, but the most important thing is that the Cavs got the win on Friday. After five straight losses, the win over Charlotte will surely offer a boost of confidence for the Cavs.
Up next, the Cavs have another winnable game. They’ll take on the heavily injured Miami Heat on Sunday.
On Monday, the’ll take part in what could be a battle for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference when they host the Atlanta Hawks.
